It really isn't a surprise that a musician in a band like
Depeche Mode dislikes
Simon Cowell. After all, the
"X Factor" judge and producer is all about the commercialization of pop music, not an artistic dive into the soul of rock.

Still, it is
very surprising when a man like
Martin Gore -- the guitarist and songwriter for new-wave band Depeche Mode -- said that someone should shoot Simon.

The statement came up as part of an interview Gore conducted with
Music Week magazine. As the British tabloid,
The Sun, reports, the musician decided to vent his frustration with the current state of music in general and with Simon Cowell in particular.

"I'm not advocating violence," Gore explained when talking about the music industry. "But I think somebody should shoot Simon Cowell."

It's extremely likely that Gore meant this as a metaphorical shooting, considering what followed in the interview: "His influence in the music industry over the last God knows how many years it's been now. It's just like, so many people think that's what music is." The musician went on to explain how the kinds of pop acts favored by Cowell worry him. "What happened to bands getting together?" Gore asked. "They are very few and far between now and the ones that do probably can't afford to get into a studio and make a record."

Simon Cowell, being the publicity-friendly man that he is, wasted no time in issuing an angry response via Twitter.
Cowell first tweeted, "I read Martine gore wants to shoot me. He was is in depeche mode. Do you realise how weird and stupid that makes you. Go and watch the news." Only a few minutes later,
Cowell followed up with: "Why I am angry about weirdo gore is a ton of people have got shot this year and people like weirdo gore encourage this."

In all fairness, both men have a point here. But guns probably are not the answer.